As
I write this, three important issues remain on the table, one whose
resolution is yet to unfold; one rife with emotions, old hatreds, and
untruths; and the last one hopefully in the process of being
resolved. Issue
One: “The latest anti-Iran sedition was different in
that the US president personally became involved.” So said
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, adding that “actors”
linked to the United States and Israel were responsible for
killing “several thousand” Iranians during the past few
weeks of anti-government protests.
And so the man who issued his
fourth death threat against President Trump has now started referring
to Trump as a “criminal,”
because
Trump told the protesters...whom Khamenei calls “terrorists
and armed rioters”...to
physically take over state institutions. Calling their actions
“sedition”...what
Khamenei did was “absolve”
his and the Revolutionary Guard's role in the massacre of what could,
by some accounts, be upwards of 12,000 protesters and non-protesters
alike.
And while the killing of protesters has supposedly stopped...for now anyway...the
problems that led to the protests still remain, as in Iran's economy
tanking; soaring inflation levels unseen before; the “rial's”
(Iran's main currency) collapsing; workers on strike coupled with
demonstrations against what they call “systemic
mismanagement and government corruption;”
plus a lack of political and personal freedoms. And when melded
together it appears that what the Iranian people want is full regime
change but the question is, will it happen on its own or only with
U.S. intervention. Personally,
I've always believed that Iran's people must rise up from within...
like our forefathers did in regards to British crown rule some 250
years ago. And while we have witnessed an Iranian “populist”
uprising, the problem is that not enough people joined in to
successfully remove the current oppressive and murderous regime.
Remember,
history has shown that freedom tends to belong to the strong...to those who put their lives on the line, and to those who die in the
name of freedom...while the masses sit back and wait to garner the
fruits of what is usually the freedom fighters bloody labor.
And history has also shown
that a dictatorial regime often does truly appear to be...in regards to their
public persona...at their strongest, most powerful, and most
controlling right before being overthrown. And such a fall could in time happen in Iran, but logically something must happen first
in order to successfully secure what is lasting regime change and one's personal freedom. So what exactly must happen?
Simply, the Revolutionary Guard (the IRGC) must turn their backs on
Khamenei...like the Russian Bolshevik's did in 1917 against the
Czar...for I believe there is no other way that the Iranian people
acting solely on their own can secure a lasting win without some
semblance of Iran's military...hence its military power...being on
their side. I do believe President Trump likely knows this as well,
but has yet to say it publicly.
Why so...because Trump knows
that a revolution's success works best when it not only comes from
within, but when the “game
plan” is not
publicly divulged until said plan is well underway...if even then.
So what exactly is the “game
plan” for Iran and
what can Trump do about it? It's uncertain, and probably unlikely, that
the sum of the IRGC turns on Khamenei, but some Middle East so-called
“experts”
believe that a “succession
crisis” is
inevitable due to Khamanei's age and health issues which does seem to be a possibility, However, said possibility comes replete with problems of its own, as certain top tier Iranian military
leaders could themselves take over and continue Khamenei's hard line regime, or so could those we would not normally expect, like the
Kurds, which could see Iran's future being tenuous at best.But
one thing I do know is that if the Iranian people do secure their
freedom, whether with Trump's help or on their own, the end of Iran's
terrorist driven, theocratic dictatorship will see the entirety of
the Middle East start falling into place for like in dominoes when
one tile falls others soon follow. But what I hope is that our likely
intervention does not come too late, for if it does not only will the
Iranian people suffer tenfold, but Iran will become President Trump's
Tiananmen Square.
Issue
Two: Last
week
while in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, President
Trump presented his “Board
of Peace”
charter that is bringing “peace
in the Middle East.”
Saying that the Gaza war is now “down
to little fires,”
this plan is basically
his 20-point plan for Gaza on steroids as the charter does not appear
to limit its role to the Middle East alone.Now
seeing 50+* world leaders having received invites to join the “Board
of Peace”
...including Vladimir Putin...with over 35 already having signed on,
we find our NATO allies France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Slovenia,
and Canada declining, with Trump rescinding Canada's invite. And while
some signers do question the board's “three-tier
governing structure,” where
Trump
and pro-Israel officials sit at the top, others question why the
Palestinians have little say in deciding Gaza's future governance. I
say that's a good decision on Trump's part for
not one Palestinian leader has yet condemned nor apologize for Hamas'
actions of October 7th. Remember the old adage, “If
you don't condemn you condone,” those
words fit these folks to a tee.
So
what exactly will the “Board
of Peace”
do? Right now said board will be a transitional administration for
Gaza's redevelopment until 2027, and is tasked with overseeing
reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and being an international
stabilizing force for the region, while at the same time striving for
broader global conflict resolution...sort of doing the job the U.N.
refuses to do. And this has me believing that if the
“Board of Peace”
is successful that its ultimate goal is to either work side-by-side
with the U.N. or possibly even replace the very organization that has
truly become derelict in its duties.Now as for the key to the
board's success, we see the“Founding
Executive Board of Peace”
being rightfully chaired by President Trump, who alone retains full
veto and purse string power, as well as having the sole authority to
remove members, set the agenda, and override decisions.
The
other Executive
Board
members who hold voting rights are
U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio...one
of the most pro-Israel officials in Trump's administration as is
fellow board member U.S.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Then there's staunch Israel supporter
Jared Kushner,
Trump’s son-in-law, and one of the driving forces behind the
“Abraham Accords,”
as
well as
pro-Israel
businessman Marc Rowan,
co-founder of
Apollo Global Management, one of the world’s largest investment
firms; Ajay
Banga currently
the World Bank's president; former
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a staunch supporter of both Israel
and the “War
on Terror;” and
Robert Gabriel Jr.,
a deputy
national security adviser in Trump's administration.
This no nonsense executive
board is surely needed what with Turkey, Jordan, and Qatar, having
signed onto the “Board
of Peace.” And thus
this question,”Why
did Israel-hating Turkey, Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood supporting
“kinglet,” and Hamas' sanctuary Qatar even receive invites to
join the board? And
the only answer that makes any sense has to do with money as those
wealthy nations wanting permanent board seats must pay
$1 billion for said seat, with those monies being used for Gaza's
reconstruction. And with none of the three having yet to become
permanent members, one has to wonder why they signed on, for I do not
believe peace is their objective...trying to derail the plan's goal
seems more likely to me. Best the board keep an eye on these three is
all I have to say.
So what was Israel's response
to the plan after having originally criticized the inclusion of
Turkey and Qatar? Israel, as expected, did agree to join the
“Board
of Peace”
no matter that Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials felt that
parts of said plan were contrary
to Israeli policy, but it was made clear that at no time was not participating ever an option. Why so...because for Israel, who truly wants lasting peace, to do otherwise would find certain foxes
guarding its hen house so to speak.
And
while I hoped that neither Turkey
nor Qatar would be allowed to hold any positions on the “Peace
Board,” I
still hope that Trump does not allow either nation's
troops to be on the ground for
neither can be trusted to follow through on Gaza's disarmament plan. Why so... because both nations gave “safe
harbor”
to Hamas officials before and after October 7th and still do, thus
proving with whom their true loyalties lie.But the bottom line for me is
this...if Trump's “Peace
Plan”
is not successful a failure would see us bearing witness to not just
a continuation of regional instability and conflict, but a renewal of
fighting where Israel rightfully holds nothing back. This land
belongs to Israel and the Jewish people, and it's time the world
understands that as fact, after all the Palestinians...who are at the
crux of this matter...do have and have always had a homeland, it's
called Jordan, and that's where they belong, “Peace
Plan”
or not.
Issue Three: This
issue can be sunned up in one word: Greenland, the island nation
President Trump has long been trying to acquire and for all the right
reasons yet, in my opinion, he was using all the wrong tactics to
accomplish that goal. But that has now been remedied as his latest
tactic regarding tariffs being imposed on any European
country...including Greenland's owner Denmark...who voiced opposition
to his doing so has now been removed from the discourse. And why
so...because last Wednesday at Davos it was announced that a
“framework deal”
had been reached that would make all parties involved happy.
But
first, why really did Trump want Greenland besides what has always
been its strategic military location regarding the controlling of the
Arctic and North Atlantic against any threats by either Russia and/or
China? Simply, because Greenland has a huge amount of untapped “rare-earth mineral resources”
which if we owned Greenland would be a huge economic win not unlike
the Venezuelan oil industry now basically being under U.S.
control.
But
Trump never really wanted Greenland to become another Venezuela for
Denmark is a NATO nation, and resorting to military action against a
fellow NATO member would not have served Trump well. But history
shows that threats
only work when backed up by military action...one just has to look at
both last summer's military action against Iran's nuclear plants, and
Trump's recent ouster of Venezuela's dictator Nicholas Maduro, and
try to imagine said action being used in regards to Greenland.
Common sense alone shows it would not sit well in the political court
of public opinion, plus the fact that a “January
16 - 19, 2026 Economist / YouGov Poll” showed that a only 9% of Americans across all party lines approved of
Trump using military force to take control of Greenland.
And why is this
important...because when even Republicans are vehemently opposed to
such action, and if said action were to be taken it could see
Republicans losing the House. And Trump obviously knowing this
thankfully saw him changing his what were bully tactics, and with
said change came a “framework
for a future deal,”
a deal reached after his having met with NATO Secretary General Mark
Rutte.
So what exactly does this
“framework for a
future deal,” or as
Trump now calls it “the
ultimate long-term deal,” include?
These are the top three framework issues that would give the U.S.
“everything
we want,”
as per President Trump.
First: In return for Trump's
canceling his threatened tariffs on Europe and ruling out taking
Greenland by force or by “excessive
strength,” and with
Denmark insisting that its “red
line” sovereignty
over the island was not up for discussion, there will be ongoing
discussions regarding the “Golden
Dome”
(the
$175
billion multilayered missile defense system that would include
space-based components and utilize Greenland's strategic location).
Second: We would see an
increase in U.S. Arctic presence to ensure that both Russia and China
do not gain economic or military footholds in the region (something
both Denmark and Greenland agree with); along with joint defense renegotiations between us and Denmark relating to the 1951
defense pact and our
expanding U.S. presence at the strategic Pituffik Space Base.
Third: The U.S. would be
given unfettered mineral resource mining rights as well as access
into perpetuity to Greenland's rare-earth minerals...minerals which
are much needed in the manufacturing of today's modern technology. An announcement not totally unexpected, but one that is surely welcomed, and should be beneficial to all the parties involved.And so with this latest announcement at Davos, and with neither of the other two issues
presented having been fully resolved yet either, all are at least on
their way to resolution. But as with most issues of importance only
time will tell how each will play out. The clock is ticking...cases
closed.
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Footnote
* As I was writing this article this was the 'latest list of countries' who had signed on to President Trump's “Board of Peace” plan. 
